The 7th John Ruskin Prize Calls for Entries: From the Eye to the Hand

The 7th John Ruskin Prize is now open for submissions, inviting artists, designers, and makers from around the world to participate.

With a theme of From the Eye to the Hand, this renowned art competition offers £7,500 in awards, including a top prize of £3,000. This year’s theme invites artists to consider the interplay between what we see and what we create in response.

The deadline for entries is Monday 25 November, 2024, at 5pm GMT.

The John Ruskin Prize aims to attract entries from a wide range of artists and makers celebrating creativity in all mediums, encompassing drawing, painting, print, sculpture, photography, textiles, animation, digital art, performance, installation, and mixed media art among others.

Up to 50 artists will be selected to show their work in an exhibition at Trinity Buoy Wharf in London from 16 to 26 January 2025. The winning artists will receive prizes totalling £7,500, and the awards will be announced on Wednesday 15 January, 2025.

Five winners will be chosen by the selection panel – to be announced soon – for the following prizes:

• 1st Prize, £3,000, made possible by support from John Ruskin’s charity, the Guild of St George
• 2nd Prize, £2,000, made possible by support from John Ruskin’s charity, the Guild of St George 2nd Prize
• The Alan Davidson Under 26 Prize, £1,000,
• The International Prize, £1,000,
• The Innovation Prize: £500

The John Ruskin Prize is open to international entries, allowing artists, designers, and makers working across the globe to participate and receive a dedicated prize, worth £1,000. Submissions for this category must be digital, as the judging will be conducted digitally, eliminating the need to ship physical artworks for exhibition.

Artworks in a diverse range of media are welcomed, including animation, ceramics, collage, digital art, drawing, glasswork, installation, metalwork, painting, performance, photography, printmaking, sculpture, textile, and typography, among others.

Entrants are invited to respond to the theme of The 7th John Ruskin Prize, From the Eye to the Hand, in their submissions. The theme is intentionally open to individual interpretation through work which recognises and reveals crucial relationship between the eye that truly sees and the hand which responds creatively to that sight.

The works can be recent creations or up to four years old, as long as they represent or interpret the theme. Individual artists, designers, and collectives are all eligible to apply.

Presented by The Guild of St. George and visual literacy charity The Big Draw, The John Ruskin Prize upholds the values of John Ruskin, the radical 19th-century writer, art critic, polymath, and advocate for art's power to reveal universal truths. This uniquely multi-disciplinary prize offers a platform for artists to explore and challenge artistic boundaries while honouring Ruskin's influential legacy of recognizing and supporting artists, designers, and makers who defy categorization and embrace interdisciplinary practices.

Submissions can be made through the online entry portal at https://artopps.co.uk/opportunities/johnruskinprize-24. Pricing tiers are available based on the number of artworks submitted, allowing artists to select the option that best reflects their creative vision.